1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiphoton-excitation laser scanning microscope.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 2005-126592 and 2006-46768, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Known apparatuses in the related art for observing cellular function and the like by irradiating the surface of a specimen, such as a living organism, with ultrashort pulsed laser light and detecting fluorescence by multiphoton-excitation generated from a comparatively deep position below the surface of the specimen include a multiphoton-excitation-type examination apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-243641).
When different types of fluorescence by multiphoton-excitation are observed by irradiating ultrashort pulsed laser light having different wavelengths, this multiphoton-excitation-type examination apparatuses must use a light source that can emit wavelength-tunable ultrashort pulsed laser light or a plurality of light sources that emit ultrashort pulsed laser light with a single wavelength.
On the other hand, known confocal laser scanning microscopes include an apparatus in which femtosecond-order ultrashort pulsed laser light is introduced into a microstructured optical element, such as a photonic bandgap material, thereby spectrally broadening the laser light to emit laser light having a wide wavelength band; the wavelength range is selected using an acousto-optical filter (AOTF), a prism, or a grating (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,796,699 and 6,898,367).